A Practical Guide for Supporting California’s Homeless & Low-Income College Students
When asked what college students experiencing homelessness need most to succeed, staff and administrators at California’s public higher education institutions identified five top needs: connection to housing resources, CalFresh application assistance, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion assistance, mental health services, and access to supportive services outside of the school setting. Co-authored by the California Homeless Youth Project and Schoolhouse Connection, our publication: Supporting California’s Homeless & Low-Income College Students: A Practical Guide provides timely, concise overviews of each of these needs as it relates to homeless and low-income students at California Community Colleges, California State Universities, and Universities of California. The guide also highlights existing resources and methods to support the success of at-risk student groups. ** Click here to read the full brief.
Here’s a taste of what each issue brief includes:
> Housing Supports: Balancing work and academics, students attending California’s public institutions have little financial leverage to compete in expensive, crowded rental markets. Housing supports such as emergency housing on campus, student emergency grants, low-income student housing, and referrals to local housing agencies can help students experiencing homelessness establish stability in the immediate and long-term future.
> FAFSA Completion: Many students find the FAFSA to be lengthy, confusing, and difficult to complete. Unaccompanied homeless youth may experience additional challenges when completing the FAFSA because they need to have their homelessness verified for financial aid purposes by a school district homeless liaison or by certain homeless service providers. Verification of homelessness allows these students to be considered financially independent from their parents, omitting the need to have parents’ financial information and signatures on the FAFSA.
> Enrollment in CalFresh: College students experiencing homelessness may also experience higher rates of food insecurity due to financial hardship and a lack of places to store and prepare food. CalFresh provides monthly financial assistance to eligible low-income households. Eligible college students can use CalFresh benefits to purchase groceries off-campus as well as groceries and prepared foods on certain college campuses. However, a lack of awareness and confusing eligibility requirements prevent students from fully utilizing this resource.
> Mental Health Services: Many of California’s college students struggle with anxiety, stress, depression, and other mental health needs that impact their academic success and quality of life. Students experiencing homelessness while attending college may have even greater mental health needs than their peers; they have higher rates of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-injurious behaviors, and suicide. Campus mental health clinics, local community clinics, and health insurance coverage can help students receive needed mental health services.
> Supportive Services Beyond the Campus: Students need help understanding what resources are available to them within and beyond their campus and how to access these resources. Campus outreach, enrollment efforts, and multi-sector partnerships can help students get the supports they need to thrive in college and beyond.
